Knowledge / Understanding the technology
Passive or Active Cooling in Pharmaceutical Logistics?
Passive thermal packaging maintains temperature through insulation and prepared cooling elements. Active systems cool or heat using a controlled unit and require energy. The two can be combined: a temperature-controlled vehicle limits ambient temperature, while a passive shipper also protects the goods during transfers and delivery.
| Comparison point | Passive packaging | Temperature-controlled vehicle | Active container |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature control | Insulation and conditioned coolant packs provide finite thermal capacity. | A controlled unit regulates the vehicle load space. | A controlled unit regulates the container interior. |
| Before dispatch | Check packout, payload and coolant preparation. | Check operating state, loading, airflow and energy supply. | Check model-specific loading, starting conditions and energy supply. |
| During unloading | Protection stays with the goods; previous temperature exposure still matters. | Goods leaving the controlled load space need appropriate protection. | Protection depends on the operating conditions and available energy. |
| Reading the display | One measurement does not represent every product position. | Load-space air temperature is not the same as product temperature. | Distinguish displayed air temperature from measurements at the product. |
Practical guidance
Which solution maintains temperature while the shipment waits for collection or is transferred?
Example: refrigerated goods in a temperature-controlled vehicle
Vehicle: +15 to +25 °C
The vehicle limits the temperature outside the shipper. It does not keep unprotected goods at +2 to +8 °C.
Goods: +2 to +8 °C
The passive packaging designed for this range protects the goods. Testing must cover the journey, transfers and delivery together.
In this guide
- What preparation do passive and active systems require?
- Which shipping task favours which approach?
- Example: +2 to +8 °C in a vehicle at +15 to +25 °C
- Compare availability, delays and returns
- Record the route from packing to storage
- Include transfers and intermediate storage in the comparison
- Calculate costs for the same shipping process
What preparation do passive and active systems require?
Passive: the insulated packaging contains, for example, water-based cooling elements, specialised PCM or dry ice. These can absorb or release only a limited amount of heat. Preparation, quantity and arrangement must match the payload and temperature profile of the entire transport.
Active: a temperature-controlled vehicle or suitable container regulates its temperature. Whether it can both cool and heat, how long its energy supply lasts and which loads are permitted are specified in its operating documentation. Maintenance, energy and correct operation remain necessary.
Which shipping task favours which approach?
- Many individual recipients: consider passive parcel packaging that requires no technical equipment at the recipient’s site and protects until storage.
- Large, regularly consolidated volumes: compare actively temperature-controlled transport with passive pallet packaging. Include unloading and returns.
- Transfers without temperature control: establish how long the shipment waits and which temperatures it encounters.
- Limited site equipment: check power and equipment availability for active systems, and freezing capacity and preparation space for passive systems.
The article on pallet shippers describes the requirements for large passive packaging.
Example: +2 to +8 °C in a vehicle at +15 to +25 °C
A vehicle controlled at +15 to +25 °C does not keep unprotected goods at +2 to +8 °C. In a tested combination, the passive shipper protects the goods. The vehicle ensures that the shipper experiences smaller temperature fluctuations during this stage.
Heat still enters the colder shipper inside the vehicle, so its cooling elements are used during the journey. After unloading, they can therefore absorb less additional heat than at packing. Testing must cover the journey, waiting time and last mile through to storage together.
Compare availability, delays and returns
| Situation | Active system | Passive packaging |
|---|---|---|
| Departure is delayed | Are the energy supply, operational monitoring and access to the equipment secured? | How long may the packed shipper wait? Is a particular intermediate storage condition specified? |
| The shipment is ready to be packed | Are the container, state of charge and technical release available? | Are the correct shipper and fully prepared cooling elements available? |
| The goods arrive | Can the recipient unload, store and return the container? | Can the recipient accept and store the goods? For reusable packaging: who organises the return? |
| A temperature alarm occurs | Who responds, and what action is possible on site? | Who responds, and which action is compatible with the tested packout? |
A data logger or wireless connection does not turn a passive shipper into an actively cooled system. Conversely, an active system does not have to remain connected to mains power continuously; check its intended energy supply and operating duration.
Record the Route from Packing to Storage
Example: The main transport takes place in a temperature-controlled vehicle. Afterwards, the shipment waits in a warehouse for the local delivery provider. The vehicle’s temperature record does not establish whether the goods remain protected during this waiting period.
Clarify the longest expected waiting time and temperatures in the warehouse. For a passive shipper, assess whether it can still cover this stage after the completed journey. Hours in the vehicle must not simply be deducted from the time during which the shipper is under thermal load.
Define who can be reached when an alarm occurs, including outside office hours. Which suitable storage area can accept the shipment? Is this intermediate storage compatible with the packing instructions? A real-time alarm has little value if nobody can carry out an approved action in time.
Record every stage before comparing systems. Leave unknown values open until you have established them; this worksheet does not define permitted storage or delay limits.
| Stage | Duration and possible delay | Temperature and temperature control | Planned protection | Responsibility and permitted action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staging before collection | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| Main transport | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| Transfer or intermediate storage | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| Last mile and receipt into storage | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
Compare the completed route with the test evidence and operating instructions. Record who can act at each transfer point and what the approved procedure permits.
Source: Pharma IQ: Tackling Temperature Excursions – Interview with Saddam Huq, GSK (2018).
Include transfers and intermediate storage in the comparison
List collection, travel, handling, storage and delivery. For each stage, record duration, temperature control, the responsible person or company and the procedure for delays.
Assess specific disruptions: power failure, late collection, a vehicle door left open for a long time or unavailable refrigerated space. Two combined systems provide additional benefit only if their joint use has been tested under the conditions considered.
Planned temperature-controlled intermediate storage is also known as hibernation. Its effect depends on storage conditions and packaging configuration.
Calculate costs for the same shipping process
Compare both approaches for the same goods, quantity, shipping duration and delivery. Include preparation, freight, supervision and return transport as well as purchase or hire. A less expensive option is suitable only if it meets the temperature requirements.
The TCO calculation shows which costs belong together. Your list of transport stages is useful for a technical enquiry: it reveals where an active system, passive shipper or combination is needed.
Sources
- WHO: Temperature-controlled transport operations, Supplement 12 (2015). Definitions of active and passive systems and requirements for transport operations.
- Pharma IQ: Tackling Temperature Excursions – Interview with Saddam Huq, GSK (2018). Interview from 2018, PDF pages 4–10: experience with temperature excursions and responsibilities.
Editorially updated on 5 November 2026.
Discuss your transport process with THERMOCON
Describe where the shipment travels under temperature control and where it waits without temperature control. This information allows us to assess the protection the packaging needs to provide.